Another Twist in The Redistricting Case...

Here's one you don't see every night on "Law and Order":

Jim Troupis, a lead lawyer for the GOP, is apparently going to be deposed by plaintiffs for Hispanic voters and thus could end up testifying at the trial as a witness, based on his role in the redistricting work that surfaced in emails among the lawyer, state officials and others forced into view by the Court last week.

In Court Tuesday afternoon, US District Court Judge J. P. Stadtmueller said, the transcript shows:

"but it appears, at least from my preliminary 10-minute scan of the emails, he is certainly going to have to testify. The areas of inquiry still need to be fine tuned. So there will be a deposition."

The Journal Sentinel reported it this way:

The plaintiffs have taken the unusual step of subpoenaing Jim Troupis, an attorney for the Legislature, to elicit his testimony on how lines were drawn in Latino areas of Milwaukee. Troupis filed a motion Monday asking the court to limit his testimony on the grounds of attorney-client privilege, and Stadtmueller said the panel would rule on that issue Wednesday.

The question appears not to be whether he will have to testify, but how extensive it will be.

"It appears at least from my preliminary scan of the emails he is certainly going to have to testify," Stadtmueller said.

But he also said he wanted Troupis to give a deposition to the plaintiffs before giving testimony in open court, which could easily delay the trial.

More later.